Blog #5: Applying ethos

       Gun violence has taken many of our loved ones. If you have ever experienced the loss of a loved one then you know that it is like there is a gaping whole in your heart that cannot be fixed. Only time can heal the pain. No, I have personally not lost any family members to gun violence, but I, like many people who have lost loved ones to gun violence, have had to experience the feeling of loss. I cannot lie that the type of loss is not even on the same page as losing someone to gun violence, which usually tends to be sporadic and random. People whose fate was decided by gun violence, if it even seems right to say so. I have had to deal with the loss of my grandmother to pancreatic cancer about a year ago. The pain was unbearable and still has not entirely gone away, and frankly it never will. The same goes for people who lose their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends, cousins, husbands, and wives to guns. No one, and nothing can ever bring them back, and healing can only diminish the pain, however, the pain will never go away. Just think about a time when you lost a loved one who was close to you.

The fact that a shooting like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School last December occurred so close to home has significantly shaped my life as a student today, especially because of the close proximity to Newtown. I have seen major changes to the system such as the new "Run, hide, and fight" drills, in which students like me are now taught how to protect themselves from a shooter. What does this say about our society today, have we really ignored the issue so much that now our own protection is all on us; children, parents, anyone to protect ourselves? What happened to the beliefs of police officers keeping us safe from the bad guys, whats the point in even having police today if we are just putting individual protection on individuals, especially students?

I also personally know a family member who was a student at Virginia Tech, at the time of the shooting. He personally knew several people who were killed. Even though I don't know the victims, it really hit home at the fact that one of my close relatives knew them. It really changes how you feel about gun violence. That is why we must view gun violence as something affecting all of us because anyone, anywhere is under the threat, and we can't keep ignoring this fact, even though it may be very disturbing to think about. 
 

     It is a part of human nature to feel sad from the loss of life, and no matter what way life is taken it does not change. We as human beings hate losing loved ones, and the feeling of being alone, yet we have done little to stop the issue of gun violence. If we hate the feeling of loss, then why do we just stand by as more shootings occur, and more loved ones lives are taken from their families and friends?It is time for a change. We must improve the issue of gun violence by passing stronger laws that limit the use of guns, or ban them all together for the general public. Even though people may say that it is a part of our rights as citizens to have the right to bear arms, however is it really worth the threat of loss that we have to deal with for the rest of our lives? The answer is no, it is not worth the loss. Just think about it, what if that were one of your loved ones, if you could do anything to protect them wouldn't you do it? The solution is to ban the use of guns in our society, even though this may infringe on our rights as citizens to bear arms, don't we also have the right to be safe and protected in our own communities. I don't know about you but I certainly value safety over leisure.

Blog #4: Applying pathos

Gun Violence: 

Guns for sale at a Houston, Tx. gun show, 2007. Photo: Flickr/M Glasgow

The highlight of my social issue is guns; they are commonly thought of as toys to kids or leisure to some adults. Some people enjoy the feel of shooting guns, this is very evident in our society today with Nerf guns, paint ball, video games, all of which contain guns. I cannot deny that I enjoy my amount of Call of Duty, and using BB guns, but most of the time I fail to notice what I am actually doing, and how i'm enjoying the violence of these games. The reality and concept of these games themselves is usually unthought of, yet peoples lives are taken every day by the concept of guns that we find pleasure with.  Maybe the feelings of leisure when it comes to guns today, is the reason for gun violence in our country. Although they may be thought of differently by people there is one true definition of a gun; a weapon that is made to kill. The sole purpose for a gun is to kill, so how is is that people tend to view them as if they were only toys, made to give us some sort of joy or happiness. The fact is guns do the opposite. Guns take lives of people of all ages, and from all walks of life. Innocent children, friends, family members, loved ones are all the people that guns take from us. Yet even though something as simple as a gun can be more restrictively controlled under gun laws for some reason it remains untouched. Even though hearts have been broken, and lives taken from our community we have done little to improve it. Gun violence which has taken the lives of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary, kids that were so excited for Christmas break and enjoying the holidays with their families, went to school that day, and never returned home to their families. The shooting at Virginia tech that left 32 students and staff members brutally shot while just trying to learn in class. The Aurora, Colorado shooting at a movie theater that left 12 people dead, people including children who were just trying to enjoy a movie. The fact is that gun violence has taken too many lives, how many more people have to die before some change occurs. We know that gun violence exists, and we know of the possibilities for it to occur anywhere yet we have ceased to do anything about gun laws in this nation. Don't let the dead have died in vein, the answer to this problem is in our hands. Just think about it; what if it were you're loved one who were taken from you due to gun violence? Would you just sit behind and do nothing about gun violence?

Blog #3

"Guilt, you may be thinking warily. Isn't that what we're supposed to feel? But guilt doesn't go anywhere near far enough;the appropriate emotion is shame-shame at our own dependency, in this case, on the underpaid labor of others. When someone works for less pay than she can live on-when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently-then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. The 'working poor,' as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else. As Gail, one of my restaurant coworkers put it, 'you give and you give (Ehrenreich, 221)."

Guns, the cause of 85 deaths per day. Do you know anyone killed due to gun violence? Hunting, and leisure are no excuse for guns; innocent kids, fathers, mothers, family members-the people we love, taken from us, taken by guns you want for leisure. When you know someone personally whose life was taken from you, for sure, the pain never goes away even though time may pass and people may forget-you will always remember the person you lost, how a gun could ruin a life in the blink of an eye, a tragedy, tearing you apart. It's "gun violence," that has ruined many lives, and continues to take the lives of our loved ones. In two years it has killed more than the 58,000 American's who died in the Vietnam War; less men who were fighting on the front line died than here in our country; how shocking that gun violence could kill so many innocent people here in America. Due to gun violence we are not safer at school than anywhere else, yet it is ignored, little change has occurred. How sad, today many fail to notice "a loss is a loss."

Facts from:
"Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence – Gun Law Information Experts." Law Center to Prevent Gun     Violence RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.

Blog #2 Issues

Economical: 

• Gas prices are way too high, and they continue to rise. 
• Minimum wage is too low for the high pricing in today's market.
• Huge gap between the rich and the poor.
• High inflation 
• Most products sold in the U.S. are made overseas. 
• Not enough jobs in the U.S. to decrease unemployment significantly.
• International air fare is very expensive.
• There are taxes for almost everything: Social security, property taxes, federal income, etc..
• Low income housing is too expensive for low income workers. 

Social: 

• Bullying 
• Racism/racial discrimination
• Sexual discrimination
• Gun violence
• Terrorism
• Gang violence
• Drunk Driving

Education: 

• Students that don't have any interest in being in school, and just complain all the time. 
• People standing and talking in the middle of the hallways. 
• Students having full conversations on their phones during class. 
• Kids chewing gum and sticking it under desks, and tables. 
• People ripping off the doors of stalls, and toilet seats off of toilets. 
• Never any paper towels in the bathrooms. 
• Really odd things being food in the bathrooms such as animals, and writing on the walls. 
• Tenure, especially for teachers who are absolutely terrible. 
• No child left behind: slowing the advancement of education in the U.S. 
• U.S. ranked 17th in global education (really sad)
• Lack of discipline in many classrooms. Kids can be like animals.
• lack of materials in schools: paper, art supplies.
• lack of funding for extra curricular activities; most money is raised only through volunteering. 

Government: 

• Run by a bunch of rich men and women. (The rich control the world!)
• Very hard to pass bills, and agree upon action because both parties cannot agree with one another. 

College: 

• Tuition is very expensive. 
• You have to pay just to fill out an application. 
• You have to be a good student, involved in sports, clubs, volunteering and as much as you can possibly do just to get into a good college. 

Clothing: 

• People wearing shredded clothes that look like rags more than an outfit. 
• Sagging pants
• Clothes that are too tight. 
• Clothes that show almost every single amount of skin that can possibly be shown.
• People wearing clothes just to look cool rather than be comfortable. 

The history of Joseph

I personally cannot complain that the name Joseph is pretty great to have as a name. After all there are three ways I can say my name; Joe, Joey, Joseph. Who else can do that? Even though most famous Joseph's are important because of their contributions to religion, there is also Joseph A. Bank, Joseph Stalin, Joseph Gordon Levitt. All very different from a clothing store, to a communist dictator, to Robin from Batman. What other name is famous for so many different reasons besides Joseph?

Joseph; very commonly known as a saint name. The name Joseph comes from the Hebrew name Yosef meaning "God shall add another son." Joseph was the name of the father of Jesus in the Bible. Joseph Son of Jacob is very well known in the Hebrew scripture, and the Quran as liberator of the Isrealites from Egypt. Joseph of Arithmea was believed to have brought the holy grail to Great Britain a very long time ago. As you can tell Joseph's have been very important throughout history. My name, very religious throughout history has brought up stereotypes about all Josephs, and that naming your child Joseph will make them suddenly a perfect little angel. I'm not going to argue that sometimes it has its benefits, no one is perfect including me Joseph!

Now my last name; Lacovara ,not Lacovera, or LaCovara. The way it is pronounced is LA-CO-VAH-RA. Bottom line it is not as hard to pronounce, as it may seem. The name Lacovara is Italian, and originates from the midieval Greek surname Lagodares or "Leveret". Which if you didn't know "Leveret" is a young hare (tiny animal similar to a rabbit, but with longer ears). I always liked rabbits but I didn't know that my last name had any relation. Maybe that's why I like carrots so much? Well anyway, my Lacovara ancestors originated from the town of San Mauro Forte, in the province of Basilicata, Italy. If you have never seen pictures of San Mauro Forte it is a small village on top of a giant hill in the middle of the mountains (photo above). I'm not 100% sure but my ancestors must have been in incredible shape from walking up and down the hill all day from home to wheat farm. I have always loved carbs, now I know that my ancestors did too.

Some of my ancestors some how ended up on a boat headed for Great Britain while others headed to the U.S. While in the UK they among with many other immigrants worked in coal mines, and helped to build the British rail roads. The relatives who ended up in the U.S. lived in Brooklyn, New York among with many other immigrants. They also worked on the railroads, and faced many low paying jobs.

Joseph has been a very popular name throughout history with the number of Joseph's in the U.S. peaking in the 1910's when there were 13, 160 per million babies. Yet the number of Joseph's in the U.S. has been decreasing ever since. My Grandfather's name was Joseph, my dad's name is Joseph, and My name is Joseph, so yeah, it can be pretty confusing especially with mail, but I wouldn't change my name for the world. I'm proud to say that I'm Joseph Lacovara, even though I'm #3.